Sewing machine binder



Dec. 19, 1933. GENSHElMER 1,939,972

SEWING MACHINE BINDER Filed May 16, 1932 a T a- M a 5 vunnwmwuy iwi-W w. i lii emm i H w w i I? A if H Y 'l INVENTOR i0 36 aa .2 1 HENRY GENSHEIMER ATTORNEY Patented D ec. 19', 1933 I UNITED" STATES rarest-caries SEWING MACHINE BINDER Henry Gensheimer, New York, N. 1. Application May 16, 1932. Serial No. 611,502

' 5 Claims. (01. 112-137) The invention relates to folder attachments for sewing machines. In one of its aspects the invention has to do with binder attachments for sewing machines of the kind in which a strip 6 of binding material. hereinafter referred to as a tape, is fed in a direction substantially at right angles to the line of stitching and to the line of feed which the tapeeventually takes as it is folded over the edges of the fabric to be bound.

10 The invention herein constitutes an improvement and development of the binder shown in my Patent 1,726,556 granted September 3, 1929.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified form of folder attachment for a sewing machine and incidental to this general object the'present disclosure has for other objectives the providing of a standard form of folderwhich can be adapted for installation on various makes and types of sewing machines; which can be readily mounted thereon so that it will not be displaced in use and interfere with and damage moving parts of the sewing machine; which can be formed of cheap narrow gauge sheet metal of suflicient pliability so that it maybe distorted so as to accommodate itself to clear feeding mechanism and other projections found on certain makes of sewing machines; to provide a construction which can be fabricated from an extremely small number of component parts and which can be secured together with a minimum labor factor.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a binder of the type outlined means for guiding both the tape and the edge of the fabric to be bound thereby in such way as will insure a neat finish to the bound'fabric. This is attained in the instantcase by providing a rela- V tively long folding engagement with the tape in the direction or the line of stitching even though the tape may be fed thereto at right angles to this line, as shown in the accompanying drawing. Theoretically, this extent of folding of the tape about the edge should be relatively long and in those cases where the binding is to be applied to a straight edge of the fabric or to the outer periphery of an edge of large curvature, this engagement should be made as extensive as is practical. However, it is required of binding machines that'it likewise should be adapted to be used when applying binding tape to an inner, short radius periphery and under these conditions obviously thelength of folding engagement in the direction of the line of stitching should be made as short as possible. In the instant case, a compromise has been effected between the desirable long engagement between the tape and the fabric as it is fed to the stitching mechanism of the sewing machine andthe necessary short length of folding where the tape is to be applied to a fabric edge of small radius curve; In one practical embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, the binder is formed somewhat L- shaped with a long tape receiving leg of about two inches in length, and a short tape folding and fabric guiding leg of about one half inch in length. This half inch length has been found to be sufiicient to give the desired perfection of binding operation herein featured and not so long as to interfere with the usual fast turning of the fabric during a short radius or inside binding operation, as commonly practiced in the for mation of arm holes, neck outlines and like construction, in the manufacture of apparel of different kinds. a

The invention also seeks a heminer attachment which can be easily and'cheaply manufactured from a minimum number of parts into a unitary and rugged structure.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspec. tion of the accompanying drawing and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention, and the invention also consists in' certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

i. is a plan view looking down upon a binder constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention, shown applied to the bed plate of a sewing machine and shown in connection with the taping of a length of fabric;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the underside of an at-. tachrnent shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 i's'a view in front elevation of the same showing the bed plate in section and showing the sewing machine presser foot in dotted outline; and

Fig. 4 is a View in end elevation of the binder herein featured.

In the accompanying drawing, there is shown part of a sewing machine of conventional design including a bed plate 10 and certain of the stitching apparatus including presser foot 11 and needle 12. One known form of sewing machine is providcd in onset relation to the stitching mechanism with two threaded screw holes 13 and 14. The attachment herein featured includes a flat guide plate 15 provided with a pin 16 depending into screw hole 13 and an opening 1'! overlapping the screw hole 14. The pin 16 and its associated aperture coact with a binding screw 18 passed through opening 17 into screw hole 14 to secure the guide plate in position on the bed of the machine. In the preferred embodiment, the pin 16 passes through the guide plate 15 and extends thereabove as at 16.

, A binding device 19 is adjustably mounted on the bed plate and includes a long base plate 20 including a rectangular mounting part 21 slidably mounted in the guide plate 15 and secured in adjusted position by the binding screw 18 bearing on top of the mounting part 21 and extending through an elongated slot 22 in the mounting part through which slot the pin 16' also passes. To the left of the mounting part as shown in Fig. 1, the base plate 20 extends forwardly and to the left of the path of the final line of stitching as indicated by the stitches 23 to form a broad smooth, slightly arched fabric receiving ledge 24.

Extending from a point in advance of and adjacent the needle 12, the base plate 20 is provided with a quarter round slit 25 which curves from the line of stitching 23 towards the left. The portion to the left of the slit, as viewed in Fig. 1 and which forms the ledge 24 is slightly elevated from the mounting part 21 of the plate 20.

Located on top of the bed plate is a folding device 26. This folding device is formed of a single sheet of sheet metal bent to shape. When completely formed, it is of somewhat fiat construction mounted edgewise on its support and of approximate L-shape form when viewed in plan as shown in Fig. 1. The right hand leg or tape receiving portion 27 is relatively long compared to the left hand leg or tape folding portion 28. The midlength of the folded sheet forms an upstanding rear side'29 with edges at the tape receiving portion 27 bent forwardly towards each other to form tongues 30 and 31 coacting with the rear side to form a. tape receiving portion as an upstanding flat tubular shell. This tape receiving portion is open at opposite ends with the right hand end 32 constituting a tapereceiving end and the opposite end 33 constituting a tape discharging end. The binder decreases in height from a maximum at the right hand tape receiving end, as shown in Fig.3 to a minimum almost circular discharging end, as shown at the left of Fig. 4. As noted in Fig. 3, the tongues do not extend to the corner 34 of the rear side thus providing an open front clearance 35 to permit the tape to pass freely through the portion 27, to turn therefrom at an angle into the folding portion 28, and around the smooth slightly curved corner or elbow provided at 34. The upper and lower edges of the plate which forms the portion 27 is bent forwardly and then bent back upon itself to form this portion somewhat U-shaped in cross section as shown at 36 and with the edges 37 and 38 inturned to form the tape folding structure of somewhat conventional design. Opposite ends of this tape folding portion are open with one end opening into the clearance 35 and the other end opening just in advance of the needle 12. The spaced apart sides of the structure provides an inclin d groove 39 into which the fa. ric edge to be bound is advanced from the ledge 24. In order to insure the movement of the fabric into the groove 39 and thus into position to receive the tape, the elevated edge 40 of the ledge on one side of the slot 25 is disposed close to the groove and may even be intruded slightly into this groove, as suggested in Fig. 3. The tape intaking end 32 is designed to assist in the initial threadin of the tape into the flat tubular receiving portion 27 and to provide a smooth face to receive the tape as it comes from the spool. For this purpose the end of the rear side is bent back to form a smooth curved lip 41. In order to prevent the tape from catching against the end edges of the tongues 30 and 31, as would occur when the binder is formed of a single sheet of metal, a bridge strip 42 has its opposite ends soldered to the ends of the tongues and coacts to form the end 32 as a narrow flat slot for receiving the tape.

In operation, it will be understood that the device herein disclosed is to be installed on a sewing machine of certain standard makes. The adjustable mounting herein featured is a convenient means for insuring the proper location of the attachment relative to the stitch forming mechanism in machines of different makes. Tape or equivalent binding material it, usually supplied from a spool is threaded through the tape receiving end 32 of the L-shaped binder and is advanced through the portion 27, around the corner 34, through the portion 28 and discharged adjacent the needle. At the same time the fabric '1 to be bound is advanced across the ledge 24 and into the groove 39 in position to be bound by the tape. The smooth top side of the ledge 24 assists in locating the edge of the fabric above the lower and below the upper turn of the tape as it is being bent about the edge e of the fabric during its advance along the portion 28. The operation is started and the operator simply advances the fabric past the needle as is usual in sewing binding to fabric. The operation is otherwise automatic, the tape being drawn through the folding device and folded into position about the edge of the fabric as the fabric is advanced by the sewing operation of the machine.

I claim:

1. An attachment for sewing machines, comprising a guide plate providedwith a locating pin secured to the guide plate with a depending' portion adapted to be contained in a screw hole or recess in the bed plate of a sewing machine and having an upstanding portion projecting above the guide plate, and said guide plate provided in spaced relation to the pin with an aperture adapted to receive a binding screw, a base plate slidably mounted in the guide plate and provided with an elongated slot adapted to receive the upstanding portion of the pin, a binding screw passed through the slot and adapted to engage a threaded aperture in the bed plate to secure the base plate in adjusted position relative to the needle and line of stitching of the sewing machine, said base plate formed of relatively thin gauge sheet metal and capable of being bent by hand to clear feeding mechanism and other projections which may be beneath the same on the bed plate of the sewing machine, a fabric guiding device secured to the upper side of the base plate and adjustable therewithas the base plate is shifted along the guide plate in a direction lengthwise of the slot.

2. An attachment for a sewing machine, comprising primarily three major parts, a guide plate, a base plate including a mounting part slidable in the guide plate and a fabric receiving ledge, said. base plate provided with a quarter round slit separating the ledge from the mounting part, and a'binder secured to the mounting part and having a receiving end and a delivery end, the edge of the ledge at the slit being slightly elevated from the adjacent edge of the mounting part and intruded into the delivery end of the binder.

3. An attachment for a sewing machine, the combination of a base plate, means for securing the base plate inadjusted position on a sewing machine, said base plate having a slit in one edge and forming a fabric receiving ledge to one side of the slit, a one-piece binder having a tape receiving end and a fabric discharging end secured to the bed plate at the slit and having an upstanding continuous rear wall, said discharge end provided on the side opposite the rear wall with a fabric receiving groove and an edge of the ledge intruded into said groove.

4. An attachment for a sewing machine, the combination of a base plate, said plate provided with a quarter round slit with the part of the plate on one side of the slit raised slightly from the part on the opposite side of the slit, means engaging said part on the opposite side of the slit for mounting the attachment in position on a sewing machine, the elevated part forming a fabric receiving ledge, a binder somewhat L- shaped in plan with a relatively long leg constituting a tape receiving end and a relatively short leg constituting a fabric delivery end, the short delivery end secured to the bed plate at the slot, the delivery end open at opposite ends, along the side facing the ledge and otherwise closed and disposed to receive the fabric fed to the same along the ledge.

wardly towards each other to form tongues coacting with the rear side to form an upstanding flat tubular shell open at opposite ends and forming a tape receiving end and a tape discharging end, with the tape discharging end spaced from the elbow to provide an open front clearance to permit the tape to pass freely about the angle at the elbow in moving from the tape receiving into the tape folding portions of thebinder, said binder decreasing in height from the tape receiving end to the discharging end, the edges of the sheet at the tape folding portions being bent forwardly and then back upon themselves to form each edge somewhat U-shaped and coacting to form the folding portion with an open front slot and terminating in a discharge end elevated above thefiat portion of the mounting part.

HENRY GENSHEIMER. 

